Eshtitor turned to regard the hatch that he might have taken if not for stopping to query the chief. Then he wondered if his two minders had met with foul play.

  “Captain, I can summon a handful of techs to escort you to the bridge,” Maktrich offered.

  “Negative,” Eshtitor replied. “I need to know their intention.”

  “I would have thought that was obvious,” Maktrich said.

  “A beating isn’t a killing,” Eshtitor replied.

  “One can accidentally lead to the other,” Maktrich argued.

  “I need an exit from the corridor about three hatches down,” Eshtitor requested.

  “Fourth hatch on the left leads to a storeroom. It’s always open. After you’re inside, smack the panel. It’ll close even on an adversary,” Maktrich replied.

  Eshtitor regarded the chief steadily.

  “It’s a glitch in the safety system, and it’s on our repair list. You can imagine its way down the list,” Maktrich said apologetically. “Also, there are extension poles in a rack just beyond the panel. Spin that way and yank a pole free to defend yourself.”

  “After I go through the hatch, Chief, keep your engineers and techs in here,” Eshtitor directed.

  “I hear you, Captain,” Maktrich replied.

  Then Eshtitor placed a call to security, explained in detail what he wanted done, and waited until he received notification that the team was headed his way.

  Assuming a relaxed posture, Eshtitor triggered the engineering hatch to enter the corridor. As he nonchalantly strolled down the corridor, he noted that the pairs were in the same places as they had been when he entered engineering.

  The actions started simultaneously.

  When the foursome attacked, Eshtitor was close to the fourth hatch on the left, and he sprinted toward it.

  The front pair would close on Eshtitor first. He noticed that both attackers held dangerous weapons. One brandished a short rod with a protruding spike. The other raised a bar that was honed to a knife edge.

  Eshtitor reached the hatch, struck the panel, and turned to face his adversaries. As he was against the bulkhead, only the attacker with the pike weapon could get to him first.

  The pike-wielding Dwerve saw Eshtitor trying to escape into a service room, but he would get to the captain before he could duck inside. Raising his hastily made weapon, he was determined to drive it into Eshtitor’s skull. That would earn him the bonus, as the one finishing the captain.

  Eshtitor saw the amateurish use of the pike. The upraised hand telegraphed the strike. With the hatch nearly open, he struck with a front kick into his adversary’s chest.

  Knocking the nearest attacker backward gave him time to duck into the service room, and he slapped the panel. He whirled to the corner and grabbed an extension pole. It was smart advice from the chief. As the hatch closed, he faced the blade wielder. The posture of his adversary indicated he knew how to use the weapon.

  Eshtitor tried repeatedly to shove the end of the pole at the knife wielder to keep him at bay. It worked only three times. Then his attacker grabbed the pole, held it aside, and came at him with the knife.

  Abandoning the pole, Eshtitor ducked between two rows of shelves and raced along them, while searching for an alternate weapon. When nothing seemed to come to hand, Eshtitor yanked containers of material out of their safeholds and threw them at his adversary. His size allowed him to toss the heaviest ones, which slowed the knife wielder, who had to dodge them.

  Rounding the end of the row, Eshtitor spotted shelves on the other side of the room, which held more promise. He raced behind the first row and spotted a container. Its label indicated it held short rods used for welding plates. As he ran, he yanked off the container’s top and grabbed a handful of the short rods. The spiked tips were just the weapons he needed.

  Eshtitor whirled to face his attacker, who had just rounded the row’s end.

  The knife wielder eyed the spiked rods in the captain’s hands. A bunch was held in the left and one of them was in the right. It was the way the rod sat in the right hand that warned him. Suddenly, the rod was thrown at him, and he barely managed to smack it aside with his knife. The edge of his makeshift weapon was nicked by the weight and hardness of the rod, which was a second warning for him.

  Eshtitor saw his adversary’s eyes shift from confident to concerned, and he delivered a toothy grin. Hefting a second rod, he threw it as hard as he could. Instead of aiming for his adversary’s center mass, he strove to deliver it to the leg. His aim was good, but his technique was poor. The rod hit the attacker’s thigh, but it struck with the flat end. Nonetheless, he saw his adversary wince.

  Then Eshtitor went on the offensive. He threw one rod after another in quick succession, forcing his attacker to retreat.

  The distance closed between the two Dwerves until Eshtitor reached the final rod to throw, but hefting it was only to keep his opponent focused on the rod. Then he leapt forward and grasped the adversary’s wrists.

  The race whom the elevens imitated was one of the strongest that the Dwerves had met. Eshtitor’s grips tightened like vices on the attacker’s wrists. Then a knee was swiftly delivered to the attacker’s most vulnerable parts, and he crumpled to the deck.

  Immediately after that, the hatch was triggered aside, and Eshtitor heard security call for him. Quickly, he was relieved of the attacker he had restrained.

  Stepping into the corridor, Eshtitor saw the security team had two of the attackers in hand.

  A pair of engineers had a third attacker in custody. The captive looked a little worse for wear. Blood ran down the side of his face, and an engineer held a heavy piece of rod with blood smearing its end.

  Soon, two more of the security team dragged the fourth member out of the storeroom.

  “Lock them up in separate cells,” Eshtitor ordered.

  Then security hauled the four attackers out of sight.

  Eshtitor regarded the chief engineer, who had disobeyed his order to remain in the engine control room.

  “We’re not going to stand by and let our captain be assaulted,” Maktrich protested defiantly.

  Eshtitor eyed the expressions on the chief’s and the three engineers’ faces. He chose the better option and said, “Well done.” Then he marched after the security team. Behind him he could hear the hand slaps of the engineers, as they celebrated.

  On the bridge, Eshtitor encountered a furious Quanitine, who indicated that he should about-face and head toward his quarters.

  In the salon, Eshtitor didn’t get to say a word.

  “I told you this was coming,” Quanitine said sternly. “Where were your two guards?”

  Eshtitor’s mouth opened and closed. In the effort to survive the attack, he hadn’t considered them.

  Quanitine snatched her device and placed a call to the security commander.

  Eshtitor heard the commander’s swift response to Quanitine’s orders. It reminded him of the power she wielded that was easily accepted by many aboard the ship. It hadn’t hurt her reputation that she and many specialists worked every cycle to support the injured.

  “Why didn’t you wait for security?” Quanitine demanded, which told Eshtitor that the entire episode had already been relayed to Quanitine. Soon, it would be around the ship.

  “I needed proof of their intentions, and this ship needed to know what’s happening. Now all of us do,” Eshtitor pointed out.

  Quanitine received a call. She glanced at the ID and quickly listened to the message. When she ended the connection, she said, “They found your shadows. One is unconscious. The other is dead.”

  Eshtitor swore at the loss of life. The fight with the Krackus fleet had cost the ship numerous lives. The population didn’t need to lose anymore.

  Quanitine regarded Eshtitor. She put away her device and came to him. Hugging him fiercely, she whispered, “I’m glad you’re safe.” Then she stepped back, holding on to his shoulders, and asked, “What are you going to do about this?”

  “I’m going to let those four sit in their cells for a while, and then I’m going to interrogate each one of them,” Eshtitor replied. “Someone will make a slip.”

  “Why the effort? You know who’s behind the attack,” Quanitine stated definitively.

  “We know who we think instigated this, but we’ve no proof,” Eshtitor reminded Quanitine. “If I was to move against the remainder of the council, then I would be overstepping my bounds as captain.”

  “So, we wait until they’re successful, and you’re dead. Then what?” Quanitine demanded.

  “Then you can take my revenge for me,” Eshtitor replied, laughing. He thought Quanitine would be shocked by his answer. Instead, her eyes had gone hard, and she replied, “With pleasure.”

  The pair ordered food service, and they were relatively quiet for the entire meal.

  Then Eshtitor changed, and Quanitine and he headed below.

  Originally, the warship hadn’t come equipped with containment cells. As time passed and incidences occurred, the need became obvious.

  Eshtitor arrived at the front desk to discover security wasn’t on duty.

  Then medical staff raced from behind him and disappeared through the hatch into the containment area.

  Eshtitor was about to follow, but he stood aside for more medical staff. Rather than interfere, he waited at the duty desk.

  Eventually, med techs arrived with four gurneys. When they exited later, the gurneys held bodies.

  Eshtitor waited for the security commander and the senior medical individual.

  “Apologies, Captain, we had no idea,” the commander said.

  “It wasn’t security’s fault,” the medical director said. “The foursome imbibed a slow-acting drug.”

  “What’s the timing?” Quanitine inquired.

  The director checked his device’s chronometer and replied, “I would think it was taken about a cycle ago.”

  “How does it work?” Eshtitor asked.

  “It’s slow acting. Eventually, it puts an individual to sleep and slows the heart until it stops,” the medical director replied.

  “How common is this particular drug?” Quanitine queried.

  “This is our old-age potion,” the director replied, realizing that Eshtitor and Quanitine weren’t aware of what he was saying. “It’s used to help our elderly pass on.”

  “Director, would these four know if they were surreptitiously given the drug?” Eshtitor asked.

  “Probably not,” the director replied. “It’s odorless, tasteless, and colorless. It’s designed to be that way. In fact, it can be absorbed through the skin. This aids the elderly who have trouble swallowing.”

  “Thank you,” Eshtitor said, dismissing the director.

  When the trio was alone, Eshtitor said, “Commander, I want you to file a full report with the first officer on second shift.”

  “Your eyes only?” the commander inquired.

  “No,” Eshtitor corrected. “Be thorough and quote the medical director.”

  “The report will probably be leaked,” the commander pointed out. Then his eyes widened, and he added, “Understood, Captain.”

  7: Failure Isn’t an Option

  The security commander tapped at the captain’s door. It was late, but he was told to report as soon as he completed the investigation.

  “Enter,” Eshtitor called out, triggering his cabin door via his device.

  “Captain, the report you requested,” the commander said.

  Hearing the commander’s voice, Quanitine left the sleeping quarters and entered the salon.

  The commander was taken aback by Quanitine in her gossamer veils, but he hid it well by delivering a courtesy sweep of his hand to her.

  “Sorry, Commander, she’s taken,” Eshtitor quipped, which made the commander laugh.

  “Continue, Commander,” Quanitine requested, sitting beside Eshtitor at the conference table.

  At Eshtitor’s gesture, the commander sat across from the couple.

  “The attackers possess four approved devices, Captain,” the commander said, referring to his notes. “However, these devices can’t be located. We do have the locations of these devices as they moved about the ship up to two cycles before the attack.”

  “Did the four meet in the earlier period?” Quanitine asked.

  “Three times,” the commander replied.

  “With anyone else?” Quanitine pressed.

  “No one,” the commander responded.

  “Where did they meet?” Eshtitor asked. Quanitine and he received a ship schematic that pinned the deck, the corridor, and the room.

  “A damaged area that’s off-limits to our citizens,” the commander commented.

  “But it’s not open to vacuum,” Eshtitor noted. “Air, water, and heat to this area are kept to a minimum.”

  “A nice quiet place to meet,” Quanitine remarked. “I imagine that vid coverage is down in this location.”

  The commander nodded in the affirmative.

  “Now who would know details like that?” Quanitine said, inviting agreement with her insinuation.

  “Unfortunately, security, engineering, repair teams, and citizen support groups, to name a few,” the commander replied, which dashed Quanitine’s hopes.

  “Then we still don’t have any proof of the organizers,” Quanitine groused.

  “Unfortunately, not,” the commander replied.

  “Thank you, Commander,” Eshtitor said, by way of dismissal. When the commander didn’t move, Eshtitor quirked an eyebrow at him.

  The commander cleared his throat. “Many of us in security are unhappy about this incident, to put it mildly,” he said. “We would like to suggest that you have a trained escort at all times.”

  “So that others could be killed by assassins in attempts to reach me?” Eshtitor queried.

  Quanitine fumed, and the commander searched for a convincing argument.

  “Let’s be blunt, Commander,” Eshtitor said. “I want this conversation to remain private. If word spreads, you’ll be working at the foundry without a suit. Am I clear?”

  “Absolutely, Captain,” the commander replied. He had hoped to have a forthright conversation with Eshtitor.

  “The three of us know who met with the four attackers,” Eshtitor said. “That pair would have access to the necessary information to select a private location. And you can be sure that they didn’t do the online search. There are plenty of loyal followers who are willing to do the bidding of those two council members.”

  “Then the danger should concern you even more, Captain,” the commander urged.

  “I read your report that you sent to bridge during second-duty rotation,” Eshtitor said. “It was well done. Better than I had expected. I like the touch that detailed how the four were apprehended.”

  “I thought it important that the instigators knew that you had defended yourself and that engineering entered the fray,” the commander responded.

  “I think it made a good point,” Eshtitor said. “”Now, if you were the troublesome pair, what would you do next? And this is for both of you.”

  The commander had his answer, but he noticed that Quanitine was taking time to respond, which made him wonder if his first thought was correct. When he saw Quanitine was ready, he motioned at her to speak.

  “I would be hesitant to try another blatant action,” Quanitine offered. “I would probably take one of two directions. If I was impatient, I would try to ensure your death by staging an accident.”

  “That was my thought, but I dismissed it,” the commander interjected.

  “Why is that?” Quanitine asked.

  “The ship is in bad shape, and the sisters have categorized every plate, hatch, bulkhead, and you-name-it that needs repair,” the commander replied. “How would it look for the captain to stumble onto something dangerous, when he has that information on his slate?”

  “Then that leaves me with only one direction,” Quanitine surmised. “Although, I don’t know if it would be effective.”

  “A plea to the citizens to remove the captain for the debacle with the Krackus fleet,” the commander quickly proffered.

  “Yes, that would be my choice,” Quanitine agreed.

  “And it’s what I think we can expect next from them,” Eshtitor said. “If the citizens’ vote disappoints those two, then I think they’ll become extremely dangerous.”

  Eshtitor thanked the commander again. Before he made the door, Eshtitor inquired, “By the way, Commander, what about your initial report on the attack and the death of the assassins?”

  The commander grinned. “We’ve already detected the circulation of my report from the evening of the incidents,” he replied. “I had a tech set a trap on the document. There were two accesses. The first officer opened it for a short period of time and then closed it. However, the weapons officer copied it and sent it.”

  “To whom?” Eshtitor inquired.

  “A deckhand who copied it and deleted it,” the commander replied.

  “Then the document wasn’t sent to another device?” Quanitine queried.

  Eshtitor chuckled softly. “These elevens are too clever to be caught by a chain of sent messages that ends on their devices.”

  The following morning, Eshtitor received an invitation to visit with Frieda. After morning meal, Quanitine and he made for a bay, where the traveler had landed.

  The pair found the ramp down, and they climbed aboard.

  Frieda and Cyan waited inside.

  “You’ve had an eventful few cycles, Captain,” Frieda said.

  “Challenging,” Eshtitor replied offhand, which didn’t sit well with the sisters. Then he quickly amended his short remark. “It was an assassination attempt, which you probably know. As well, the attackers, who were apprehended, either took a deadly drug earlier or someone fed it to them.”

  “We think the latter,” Quanitine continued. “The two remaining council members want the captain removed.”

  “Do you expect another attempt?” Cyan asked.

  “No,” Eshtitor replied. “We think they’ll try to remove me via a citizens’ vote of no confidence.”

  “Is that likely to succeed?” Frieda queried.

 

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